Chapter 5 Alisha
ALISHA
My eyes are gritty as I run through pre-flight checks. The sun hasn’t even risen above the mountains yet, but I need to be ready when it does. I want to blame Hrad for my lack of sleep, but it’s not only his fault. I’m worried about being on the mainland surrounded by the Honey tribes.
Not that we will actually be surrounded.
We will be near one tribe and have mountains and a river between us and the next tribes.
So while the mission kept me awake before I found sleep, Hrad invaded my dreams—and not for any fun reasons.
He sat there watching me dream, and silently assessing.
Then it became one of those dreams where I kept failing every test I was given.
Mission related insomnia. It’s not the first time, but instead of being alert and ready to go, all I want is a nap.
I am not surprised to see Hrad is the first person to arrive in his human-style colony clothing.
Blue is not his color; it makes his skin seem dull.
And the clothes do nothing to hide the fact that he is not human.
It’s the size of his eyes, the angle of his nose and cheekbones as well as the way he wears his hair and stands.
While he doesn’t look human, he isn’t ugly, or perhaps I’ve become so accustomed to seeing the Honey warriors around the colony that I am no longer startled by their height or looks.
My lips curve at the sight of his worn-in brown boots. Not everything he wears is colony issue. “Are you ready?”
He nods. “I will feel better when we have landed.”
“That is when my worries begin.” Flying is the easy part.
“I would offer my assistance, but the scientists will listen to me.” His lips curve.
When he sat in the meeting, he was watching and listening and assessing.
I have not forgotten that among his people he is a raid planner and that he knows how to lead a successful hunt.
Or that he has fought many battles and won.
He is a survivor. “I will listen. The medic will listen. If I ask for your advice, I expect an honest response, not the one I want to hear.”
“How would I know what you want to hear?”
“It’s a saying…some people only say what they think the boss wants to hear, not the truth out of fear of repercussions.”
“You need a better boss,” he says without a smile.
I laugh. “Most do not see it that way. Here come the others.” I jerk my chin in the direction of the four people approaching.
I read through their bios again last night to refresh myself on what each of them did.
Too often I focus on the machine and not the people.
In my defense, if the machine failed, there would be no people to worry about.
Charlie is a geologist and thinks he’s the smartest person on the expedition.
Neve is in charge of tech, and she’s been studying the kam the Honey use to communicate and generate electricity.
Hugh is here to observe the animals and the Honey farm—he’s been told not to bring any animals back though as we don’t want to disrupt the ecosystem.
Kate is security and the medic. She’s dressed in black, the same as me.
The last member of the team is Erica, who is part of the colony’s post-technology team.
We will eventually need to make clothing and shoes and all the bits and pieces we bought from Earth.
It is her team’s job to make sure that we have the capability. I do not envy her at all.
Charlie grins at me as he walks over completely ignoring Hrad. “Ready for an early start?”
I stare at him. “I’ve been here for an hour, of course I’m bloody ready. Are you?”
He rocks back on his heels. “I’m here, aren’t I?” It’s then he pretends to notice Hrad. “I’m still not sure what your role is.”
Hrad holds Charlie’s gaze. “Security and negotiator if this all goes bad.”
Kate walks over to Hrad. “Alisha might be in charge of the mission, but I requested that we take a Honey warrior with us for security as well as anthropological reasons.” She nods at Erica.
“It’s a risk having him with us,” Charlie says.
“It’s a risk to go.” I smile as sweetly as I can manage.
“But if you’re too scared, Charlie, you don’t need to come.
Everyone volunteered. And I was under the impression everyone understood the risks.
” There is a risk every time someone leaves the colony, whether it is to hunt, gather, take samples, or head to one of the outposts where we have set up either scientific research or are seeking to establish a mine.
There were risks on the spaceship. People died.
It’s only because of their sacrifice that the rest of us survived.
I know for a fact this is Charlie’s first trip beyond the colony.
Did he volunteer for excitement? Or is he hoping to make a name for himself with some discovery?
He’s old enough to have finished his training, but young enough not to have been assigned to the mining teams. He’s been helping the farms get set up and looking at soil samples for growing both native plants and our own.
At the moment, the plants from Earth have been kept alive in the secure pods they were grown in on the ship.
“I understand the risks,” he snaps. “I just don’t like aliens.”
Hrad snorts and speaks in perfect English. “This is my planet. You are the alien.”
Charlie’s face darkens and his eyes narrow.
Great, I’m going to be stuck with Charlie’s bruised ego for the next week. I make a mental note to add that to my report at the end of the day. Next time we do one of these runs, I don’t want any alien haters.
I glance at the other four members of my team. I don’t expect any problems from Hugh unless he tries to sneak an animal on board. I’m not sure about Kate and Erica, but from the way Kate smiles, I figure she might use this trip to get to know Hrad.
I don’t like the way the thought settles in my gut.
I want to say it’s professional concern about potential mission disruptions, but that would be a lie even though I have no claim on him, or him me.
In fact, the opposite is true, as he has said he does not want to mate, though not in those exact words.
“Right, if everyone’s ready, find your seat and stow your personal bag underneath.
” While they board, I take a final walk around the ship and release the locks.
Then, I go up the ramp and close it after me.
I walk through the cabin, making sure they have all taken a seat, secured their bags and strapped in.
There is room in the cabin for another three people, plus one in the cockpit.
But it was decided that taking more people increased our risk of discovery.
This is a skeleton team. The bare minimum my boss and I, and the colony leaders, thought needed to be useful and discreet.
There had been much discussion about it before asking for volunteers.
Some were non-negotiable, such as the medic and myself.
A tech to set up the cameras that would continue to record the tribe was also essential. After that, it became an argument over what the colony needed more.
“Some of you have never been on a small ship. It’s not like being on the colony ship for two reasons.
The first being we will be flying through the atmosphere, which means we will be impacted by weather.
I have checked the conditions, and it looks clear, though there may be pockets of low pressure, which will make the ride feel bumpy. ”
Hugh rolls his eyes. A month ago he had a pretty bad run with a mining team. He was there to observe a herd of animals, and they were there to obtain more samples. The ship needed to be scrubbed out after.
“Secondly, it’s a small ship, so it is noisier.
It will rattle. It will groan, and that is all normal.
Please alert me only if you see bits falling off or something is on fire.
” I grin, only partially joking. “Please remain strapped in your seat unless you desperately need to use the head.” I point at the toilet.
“Then return to your seat and strap back in. This is for your safety in case we hit turbulence. No one wants to start the mission with a head injury or a broken bone. We will not be turning back, and you will suffer. Understood?”
Everyone nods and murmurs their agreement.
I’d like to believe them, but from my own experience and the stories from other pilots, people don’t seem to believe in turbulence.
They don’t understand it. And they don’t understand what being in a small ship is like.
However, it’s a mistake they only make once.
“Great. I’ll begin launch proceedings. It shouldn’t take long to get approval as we are the only ship leaving with the sun. Everyone else waits until after breakfast.” With a last glance around the cabin, I made my way into the cockpit and shut the door as per protocol.
I sit and strap in and then take a breath, wanting to pretend that I didn’t notice the way Hrad watched me as I talked. Was it because he’s anxious about flying or because he’s worried about Charlie or Kate?
I’m not going to ask. I don’t need to know. He’s a big guy, and he can sort it out. Like the others, he volunteered. But unlike the others, he didn’t do it for fun or adventure or even his career. No, he volunteered because he didn’t want his brothers to be separated from their mates.
And damn, that means he has a bigger set than anyone else on this ship because he doesn’t want to be here.
It also makes me more interested in him as a person.
I’m so used to dealing with men like Charlie, who think they’re all that and more, who like that I can fly a ship in one breath, but then remind me of my duty to the colony in the next.
I haven’t bothered to find out who my match is because I don’t want to be disappointed.
And if he’s found out, he hasn’t approached me either.
I radio my intentions to leave to command, keeping a careful watch on the sky.
It’s my boss who responds. My father. “You are clear to launch at your leisure. Keep the sun at your back and have a safe flight, Alisha. You’re in our thoughts.”
My lips curve. I want to tell him that I love him, but there will be other people listening. “I will see you in a week.”